English and Creative Writing

Study English and Creative Writing BA at Keele and you'll develop your critical skills and nurture your voice as a writer, through the exploration of literature and engagement in creative practice across several genres of writing. You will build a wide range of skills that will prepare you for a variety of careers, with work placement opportunities providing insights into various industries.

Why choose this course?

• Top 5 in England for English (Guardian University Guide, 2026)

• Creative Writing ranked Top 5 in the UK for student positivity*, NSS 2023 (Broad-based universities) *based on overall student satisfaction, which is an average score across 27 questions asked in the NSS

• 10th in the UK for Creative Writing (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2026)

• English ranked Top 10 in England (NSS 2025, broad-based universities)*

• Enhance your career prospects through enriched work placement opportunities

Develop and refine your critical and creative practice through a study of contemporary and historic literature and the examination of texts as both a reader and a writer. On our English and Creative Writing degree, you will analyse texts to understand the cultures they’re part of and how these reflect, generate, or contradict ideas of their time, and experiment with writing in different literary forms. You will develop your ability to speak to a range of audiences via critical and creative texts, including poetry, fiction and screenwriting.

Throughout your degree you will build key skills in communication, creativity and critical thinking that help to build confidence, develop your analytical and communication skills and shape your writing style. Your studies will culminate in your final-year ‘English Project’ and ‘Creative Writing Project’, where with the support of an academic member of staff with relevant expertise you will complete an extended piece of research, or plan and develop a creative writing project.

Just as we encourage you to make the most of your time at Keele, we also prepare you for life after university, and even help you kick-start your own career. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with projects and placements, drawing on our extensive network of existing placement partners or using our support to find your own opportunity. This allows you to combine your degree programme with practical experience, apply your learning to real-world situations, and enhance your CV. You can also regularly hear from professional writers at Keele Hall’s reading events. There are opportunities to perform or publish your work at open mic events or in Keele's Creative Writing Anthology.

*We have compared the positivity ratings of all participating UK institutions using the NSS 2025 sector data to determine Keele's position relative to other broad-based universities (i.e. excluding specialist institutions and further education colleges).

About Keele

Keele University was established in 1949 by the former Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. Founded to meet the needs of a changing world, Keele has always had a pioneering vision to be a different kind of university.

We excel in both teaching and research, with some of the most satisfied students in England, and research that is changing lives for the better at a regional, national and global level.

Our beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the biggest in Britain – but all the most important services and facilities are on your doorstep, with accommodation, teaching spaces, facilities including a medical centre, sports centre and pharmacy, and a range of shops, eateries and entertainment venues – including the Students’ Union – clustered around the centre.